Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Downgraded by CLSA

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) was downgraded by investment analysts at CLSA from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Autohome to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Autohome from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 target price (down previously from $31.00) on shares of Autohome in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Benchmark lowered shares of Autohome from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Autohome has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

Autohome Price Performance

Shares of ATHM opened at $29.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 0.16. Autohome has a 1-year low of $21.89 and a 1-year high of $34.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $28.54 and a 200 day moving average of $27.24.

Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The information services provider reported $4.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $4.12. Autohome had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Autohome will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Autohome announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, September 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autohome

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATHM. M&G Plc raised its holdings in Autohome by 3.3% in the second quarter. M&G Plc now owns 3,088,758 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $83,396,000 after purchasing an additional 97,994 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its stake in shares of Autohome by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,311,742 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $36,007,000 after acquiring an additional 133,993 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Autohome by 10.7% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 249,984 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $6,862,000 after acquiring an additional 24,115 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Autohome by 146.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,059 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $889,000 after acquiring an additional 18,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd acquired a new stake in Autohome in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,497,000. Institutional investors own 63.08% of the company’s stock.

Autohome Company Profile

Autohome Inc operates as an online destination for automobile consumers in the People’s Republic of China. The company delivers interactive content and tools to automobile consumers through its three websites, autohome.com.cn, che168.com, and ttpai.cn on PCs, mobile devices, mobile applications, and mini apps.